New York, Oakland
& Havana:
BLACK AUGUST 2000
August 30, 2000 in NY

Hip-Hop exchange with Cuba creates studio/library in Havana
and raises funds for US political prisonners

Black August is based in New York and organizes an on-going exchange with
rappers in Cuba. The August concert was to take place Sunday August 13th, 2000 at
Irving Plaza, NY as a fundraiser for the 6th Havana Rap Festival on August 17th-20th,
2000. It has been rescheduled to August 30th because of attempted censorship by
Irving Plaza.

WHERE: New Age Cabaret (Capacity 800) in New York City.
28 St. Marks Place between 2nd & 3rd Avenues
6 train to Astor; N, R to 8th St.
for ticket information call 718.622.8292

As most of you may know, Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele will be going to trial on
Monday, January 22,nd 2001. The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement is requesting your
support in this matter. On Easter Sunday 2000, while participating in an
anti-police brutality demonstration with the House of the Lord Church, Lumumba
was targeted and the only one arrested out of over 150 people. Lumumba was
charged with 2 counts of disorderly conduct, one count of harassment of a police
officer, and one count of obstruction of government administration.

It is important that we send a signal to the police, the city and the state,
that we will support our community organizers and will not sit by and let them
be harassed because of their activism. We all understand that these next few
years will require a significant increase in organizing on behalf of African
folks. If we allow our activists to be arrested, beaten and or jailed, our
conditions as a people will become drastically worse. These charges may not seem
significant. However, we cannot wait until one of us is framed and or jailed
again.

As organizers, we recognize the impact of our activism and resistance. We
know that being arrested is almost inevitable; we understand that harassment
comes with the territory. Therefore, as a community we have a vested interest in
supporting the actions of those who recognize theirresponsibility to creating
change. We are asking our community to be present for the first day of trial on
January 22, 2001, at 120 Schemehorn street, 5th floor room BPT1. This will be a
bench trial, which means that the judge will hear arguments and make a decision.
For more information you can contact the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement at
718.622.8292.

The Oakland Black August Hip Hop Benefit concert is part of the 3rd Annual
Black August Hip Hop Benefit series in New York and Havana, Cuba organized by the New York
Black August Collective, which are Stress Magazine (http://www.stressmag.com/)
and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. Proceeds from the Black August Benefit aid the
Black August Political Prisoner Emergency Fund and support numerous Cuban charities,
including a public hip hop library and studio in Havana, Cuba.

The Black August tradition was established during the 1970s in the California
prison system by men and women of the Black/New Afrikan Liberation Movement as a means of
acknowledging and studying the legacy of Afrikan resistance in the Americas and honoring
fallen freedom fighters like George and Jonathan Jackson, Khatari Gaulden, James McClain,
Williams Christmas and Fred Hampton. The Black August Collective / Malcolm X Grassroots
Movement Hip Hop Benefit pays special tribute to the more than 100 New Afrikan Political
Prisoners and Prisoners of War held captive in united states prisons and Political Exiles
living aboard, men and women like Nehanda Abiodun, Sundiata Acoli, Janine Africa, Janet
Africa, Herman Bell, Ruchell Magee, Jalil Muntaqim, Sekou Odinga, Hugo Pinell, Assata
Shakur, and Mutulu Shakur to a few.

For more information on the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Black August or Political
Prisoners consult and/or contact the following websites and emails:

The 3rd Annual Black August Benefit Concert was originally scheduled to take
place at Irving Plaza on Sunday, August 13th.

Because our objectives go beyond the production of a single event and extend to both
supporting the global development of hip hop culture and promoting awareness about the
political issues that effect these youth communities, we felt compelled to cancel our show
at Irving Plaza because of their refusal to allow dead prez to perform at their venue.

Though Irving Plaza is within its contractual rights to ask us to make this choice, it
is our moral right and obligation not to censor one of our own in hip hop, especially this
group which truly and meaningfully provides an alternative view to the symbols and
negative messages that presently plague our culture. Regardless of the artist singled out
in this particular police line-up, we cannot compromise this principle because if it is
dead prez today, tomorrow it may be Mos Def or Talib Kweli, Common or Rah Diggah, or
whoever else strives to support their communities with their artistic expressions.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we hope we have your support. We understand that
changing the venue and the date at such a late date could prove fatal to any event, but we
believe that you will see the importance of supporting this decision and this show. This
goes beyond taking a stand for any individual artist, it goes beyond supporting Cuban hip
hop; we are now talking about the importance for us to own our own venues, preserve our
own culture, depend upon each other for support, and make things happen in the face of
adversity. There are some that would be very happy to see this event shut down, to see the
construction of this bridge between various political and cultural forces halted, to see
us fail, but we have faith that you, our community, will not let this happen. We are
taking Black August 2000 back to the grassroots, so come out in support on August 30th
at the New World Cabaret!

BELOW IS UPDATED INFORMATION ABOUT BLACK AUGUST 2000

WHAT: 3rd Annual Black August Hip Hop Benefit Concert in New York City and the

DJ Tony
Touch, Talib Kweli, and dead prez alongside over a dozen of Cubas best
and
brightest rap acts, in Havana.

WHEN: August 30th in New York City.

August 17th-20th in Havana, Cuba.

WHERE: New Age Cabaret (Capacity 800) in New York City.
28 St. Marks Place between 2nd & 3rd Avenues
6 train to Astor; N, R to 8th St.
for ticket information call 718.622.8292

El Amfiteatro de Alamar in Havana (Capacity 2500, 4 nights)

HOW: Shows are All ages. For NYC Show: Tickets are $20.
Tickets available at Fat Beats. For tix & info call 718.622.8292.

For Havana Festival: Tickets available at El Amfiteatro de Alamar.

WHY: 100% of the proceeds from the Black August Hip Hop Benefit
Concert in New York City goes to support the creation of a public hip hop library and
studio in Havana Cuba and towards general support for human rights organizations working
in the United States. Humanitarian aid in the form of medicine, toys and educational
materials, as well as music and recording equipment, is also collected in the U.S. and
donated in Cuba. All participating artists donate their performances and the Black August
staff donates its time to organize the event. All sponsorship of and contributions to the
event are tax-deductible.

The Black August tradition was established during the 1970s in the California
prison system by the men and women of the Black/New Afrikan Liberation Movement as a means
of acknowledging and studying the legacy of resistance in the Americas. The arrival of the
first Africans for the purpose of enslavement was in August (1619), the Haitian Revolution
was in August (1791), the Nat Turner Rebellion was in August (1831), the Underground
Railroad began in August (1850), the birth of Marcus Garvey was in August (1887), the
March on Washington was in August (1963), the Watts rebellions were in August (1965), and
the assassination of George Jackson was in August (1971), for example. The concept of
Black August allows hip hop culture to be placed within the historical and political
context that we believe will inform, inspire and guide new generations as we confront the
issues facing our communities, our society and our world.

The Black August Hip Hop Collective strives to support the global development of hip
hop culture by facilitating exchanges between international communities where hip hop is a
vital part of youth culture, and by promoting awareness about the social and political
issues that effect these youth communities. Our goal is to bring culture and politics
together and to allow them to naturally evolve into a unique hip hop consciousness that
informs our collective struggle for a more just, equitable and human world.

The Black August Hip Hop Collective is devoted to supporting youth everywhere as they
express themselves through hip hops range of visual and performance art forms. This
support will be generated through cross-cultural, concerts, monetary or equipment
donations, technical support, and artist-to-artist contact and collaboration across
international borders. This support is also manifested through The Black August Hip Hop
Collectives active opposition to the criminalization of youth and youth culture, and
what we view as the related issues of the advancing global prison industry, the continued
existence of political prisoners in the United States, the persistence of white
supremacist propaganda, and the prevalence of human rights violations. Through an
effective merging of hip hop culture and political information, The Black August Hip Hop
Collective promotes our own hip hop aesthetic, which emphasizes sincere self-expression,
creativity, and community responsibility.

"Black August - a celebration of Freedom
Fighters," BLU's 9th issue, is now available at www.blumag.com.
The issue explores the beginning of the Black August tradition in the California penal
system in the early 70s and the connections between the revolutionary aspects of hip hop
culture and the legacy of freedom fighters. The magazine also includes a historic
interview with Bob Marley by Mumia abu Jamal, interviews with Geronimo ji Jaga, H Rap
Brown aka Imam al Amin, and Hurricane Carter, contributions from asha bandele, Junot
Dํaz, and political exile Nehanda Abiodun, and a full color tear-out poster featuring
freedom fighter George Jackson.

The CD is 13 tracks from artists like Les Nubians, Cee
Knowledge of Digable Planets, Bahamadia, Boukman Eksperyans, and Angelique Kidjo with
cameo appearances by George Jackson, Skratch from the legendary Roots crew, Mumia, Assata
Shakur, Mos Def, and Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets.

BLU is a magazine of creative culture, conscious politics, and spirituality that comes
with a CD for $5. For more information call 800 778 8461.

M-1, half of the activist hip-hop duo dead prez, swigs an
auspicious-looking liquid from a plastic container as he awaits his turn
on the mike at the annual Black August hip-hop benefit concert. His
poison? "Cucumber, parsley, celery, and some other greens,"
which he blended himself to combat a wicked cough. A fitting elixir for
an act that typically draws "vegetarians and sisters who wear
headwraps," according to event coproducer Clyde Valentin. In fact,
the crowd this night at New Age Cabaret on St. Marks Place is young,
bohemian, and multicolored, and the sweaty mist hovering above reeks
more of incense than of the lesslegal combustibles usually found at a
concert.

Perhaps the management of Irving Plaza, where the event was
originally to be held, anticipated a more volatile scene when it refused
to allow dead prez on its stage, forcing planners to move the benefit to
a different place and time. But Black August coordinators believe that
dead prez's revolutionary message - in antistate songs like "Cop
Shot" and "Assassination" - rather than crowd safety, was
Irving Plaza's main concern. They are convinced that the club's decision
was political and claim that censorship dogs dead prez at major
performance spaces throughout the city.

The sold-out August 30 benefit was the third in an annual series that
commemorates significant events in black resistance that have occurred
in the month of August, such as the 1963 march on Washington and the
1971 San Quentin prison uprising, and supports progressive hip-hop and
humanitarian efforts. It was originally slated for August13. But when
Irving Plaza nixed dead prez a few days before showtime, the progressive
groups and individuals who form the Black August collective decided the
benefit could not go on without one of its most politically outspoken
acts. Irving Plaza's representatives declined repeated opportunities to
comment.

Black August member Kofi Taha recalls how Irving Plaza manager, Bill
Brusca, initially explained the club's objection to dead prez, whose
members are radical African activists (and equally radical vegetarians).
Citing lyrics from one of dead prez's signature songs, "Police
State," and a review that called the group's work "music to
riot by," Brusca, Taha says, refused to host a group that
"supported violence against the police." The offending lyrics,
Taha recalls, were pulled from the passage: "I throw a Molotov
cocktail at the precinct/You know how we think/Organize the 'hood under
I Ching banners/red, black, and green instead of gang bandannas/FBI
spying on us through the radio antennas/and them hidden cameras in the
streetlight watchin' society/with no respect for the people's right to
privacy. . . . The average black male/live a third of his life in a jail
cell/'cause the world is controlled by the white male."

"We had to scramble" to find a new venue, says Black August
coordinator Monifa Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. New Age
Cabaret agreed to host the benefit and even took down its American flag
in keeping with the anti-establishment politics of the event. But the
center holds hundreds fewer than Irving Plaza, has a stage a fraction of
the size of Irving Plaza's, forbids alcohol, and does not have an
adequate sound system or in-house security. The Black August collective
shelled out thousands to rentsound equipment and provided its own
security. The last-minute change meant losing the original headliners,
De La Soul and Mos Def, and forgoing hundreds in ticket sales.

Still, more than one Black August organizer goes out of his way to
praise Brusca's professionalism and cooperation up until the club
received a final list of acts for the benefit. "I honestly believe
he was under some pressure, "Taha says, suggesting that Brusca was
accommodating higher-ups. Although Brusca reportedly defended the club
against accusations of censorship by saying that Irving Plaza will not
host provocative but nonpolitical acts like Marilyn Manson, Black August
organizers dismiss the justification as a weak excuse.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"'The hip-hop community has been classified as an enemy of the
state by law enforcement agencies. It comes down to everything from
their dress code to their lyrics. Hip-hop is no different than any other
art form, any other culture, any other group of youths attempting to
express themselves.'"

---------------------------------------------------------------

Police lieutenant Eric Adams, president of 100 Blacks in Law
Enforcement Who Care, an organization that has frequently butted heads
with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the police union, as well
as police leaders, agrees that politics could likely have underscored
Irving Plaza's decision. "They have a legitimate concern," he
says of club managers. "Not only the PBA but the subculture of
policing has shown that when individuals are critical of the police
department, they come under some form of scrutiny, either receiving a
large number of summonses or some form of police-induced harassment. You
really don't want bad business with your law-enforcement officer. It
could make life uncomfortable, to say the least." A PBA
spokesperson declined to comment.

One magazine music editor snorts that "all these political
groups think the establishment's out to get them." And Matt Hickey,
Bowery Ballroom's booking manager, insists, "I've never heard of
the group." (He refused to comment on a dispute involving dead prez
at the Black August benefit that took place at the Ballroom last year,
saying he did not work there at the time. No one else at the club would
respond to inquiries about management's reported banning of dead prez or
its reaction when the collective nevertheless smuggled in the performers
and sent them on stage.)

But the group has made its reputation with politically charged
content similar to what they offered last Wednesday. Upon taking the
stage, M-1's cohort, stic.man, greeted the cheering crowd with the
announcement: "We just got back from Cuba, y'all!" The duo
proceeded to admire women "who look fly in clothes that are
comfortable" and extol the virtues of "fresh fruit and whole
wheat" and "tofu." But before long they were urging the
crowd to say "Fuck Giuliani!" which it did with great
enthusiasm. And deferring to popular demand, they closed their brief set
with "Cop Shot"-"Cop shot, cop shot . . . keep shooting
my people/we will shoot back . . . another dead pig knocked straight off
my block/Cop shot, cop shot, cop shot/black cop, white cop, all
cop."

That song, according to Bandele, also got Black August turned away
from Wetlands, "what we considered to be a politically conscious
venue" and where dead prez has performed in the past. Supporters
say the duo is now unwelcome at all the major performance spots in the
city.

"It would be naive to think it is not possible" that police
pressure put dead prez on the city's performance blacklist, Adams says.
Indeed, activists cite numerous instances in recent years of police
displeasure at musician critics, especially when the name of death row
inmate and alleged cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal is involved. A 6000-strong
Mumia rally this May at Madison Square Garden, where artists like Mos
Def performed, drew over 100 PBA members who staged a counterprotest.
Less visible, says Connie Julian of the Artists Network of Refuse and
Resist, was the refusal of some security companies, staffed largely by
off-duty cops, to work the event, which seriously complicated
preparations for the rally.

A January 1999 Rage Against the Machine benefit for Mumia in New
Jersey was similarly protested by police and government officials. And
this June, Bruce Springsteen's reference to the shooting of Amadou
Diallo in the song "American Skin" brought PBA protesters back
to the Garden. The national Fraternal Order of Police has compiled a
list of hundreds of artists, celebrities, and venues associated with
Mumia- supportive efforts for "identification purposes,"
including numerous hip-hop groups.

Dead prez's troubles remind supporters of the controversy that
surrounded once political acts such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice-T -
who in 1992 debuted "Cop Killer," which protests racial
profiling - and N.W.A., whose 1988 "Fuck tha Police" prompted
the FBI to warn off the record company.

Indeed many identify, on law enforcement's side, not only an
objection to lyrical content, but also a criminalization of hip-hop as a
genre and culture. One music promoter declared that not a single sizable
stage in the city since the closing of Tramps has been friendly to
hip-hop acts. And Adams says, "The hip-hop community has been
classified as an enemy of the state by law enforcement agencies. It
comes down to everything from their dress code to their lyrics."
But, he argues, "Hip- hop is no different than any other art form,
any other culture, any other group of youths attempting to express
themselves."

Yet dead prez stands out from the majority of current commercial
hip-hop acts. They belong to the National People's Democratic Uhuru
movement, a spin-off of the Black Panther-influenced Afrikan People's
Socialist Party. Their performances are peppered with shout-outs to the
Cuban hip-hop scene and Assata Shakur. The rhetoric of radical politics
pervades their every sentence. ("It's bigger than Irving Plaza.
It's bigger than S.O.B.'s or Bowery Ballroom," says M-1.
"They're only representations of the ruling class. The police are
only representations of the ruling class.") Reacting to Black
August's decision to protest the dead prez ban by pulling out of Irving
Plaza and sacrificing major performers and money, stic.man declares,
"That's solidarity."